


The Dull Night

by DilemmaDisgrace



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Akuma Possession, Dorks in Love, F/M, adrienette - Freeform, pre-reveal
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-04-05
Updated: 2018-05-29
Packaged: 2019-04-18 18:55:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 13,104
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14219604
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DilemmaDisgrace/pseuds/DilemmaDisgrace
Summary: Adrien/Chat Noir has given up on trying to woo Ladybug, and so he begins to notice the shy blue haired girl in his class. Little does he know about the events that are about to unfurl, and change his life entirely.





	1. The One That Got Away

A/N- A little something that was inspired by a MLB meme. I hope you enjoy reading this as much as I did writing it. Pre-reveal and purely Adrienette <3  
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He thought about her whenever he let his mind wander. She was practically flawless in every single way possible. The way her raven hair contrasted her pale complexion, or how her cheeks always shone a beautiful rosy pink shade, even amongst the freckles that she tried to hide beneath her mask. Everything from her striking bluebells eyes to the way the world seemed to light up when she smiled was perfect, Adrien couldn't find a single thing he would want to change about her. Not to mention, she was confident and always stood her ground, she stood up for what was right and went up against all evil showing no fear. He sighed just at the thought of his lady. But unfortunately the truth had dawned on him long ago. Although Ladybug would always be his partner, she would never reciprocate his feelings.  
Adrien lie awake in bed that night, unable to sleep. Too many things were racing through his mind, much like a wind storm, to even consider settling down enough for that to be a possibility. He took in a deep breath and then sighed again. It had been three years since him and Ladybug began working together to protect the city of Paris from the dastardly villain known as Hawkmoth. And during that entire time, he'd tried several times to initiate a romantic relationship with her, but she rejected him each and every time. He desperately wanted to ask her what it would take for her to finally be his. It hurt to be unwanted by the woman he loved, but he respected that she wanted their relationship to remain strictly business, because after all, it's easier to work without distractions like love. He rolled onto his side, only to see a small black cat laying beside him on his pillow, snoring loudly. The little kwami opened his eyes when he felt like he was being watched.  
"Kid, are you really still awake?" He asked indifferently, yawning into his tiny hands. Adrien just nodded and tried to close his eyes. However no matter how often or for how long he kept them closed, sleep never came to him. It frustrated him, all he wanted to do was get lost in dreams to forget about the long nights and even longer days that haunted him. Adrien, after a while decided that his quest was near impossible so he decided that he'd keep his eyes closed so he could think without being interrupted by his nosy kwami. Without thinking, he let his mind wander to the red spotted lady again, and as if on cue, Plagg let out a chuckle from beside his head.  
Adrien felt his eyes shoot open immediately and gave the little black cat a glare. If looks could kill, Plagg would be dead.  
"What's so amusing, care to share?" he asked in a bitter tone.  
"You're so obviously lovesick. It's making me nauseous, but at the same time it's hilarious. The two of you are so oblivious sometimes!" Plagg managed through laughs.  
Adrien considered his words for a minute. Oblivious? What was that supposed to mean?  
"Why are we oblivious?"   
"Look, if you stop thinking about her for two seconds, you might finally manage to get some rest, and then just maybe you'll finally be at peace for a while." The kwami suggested after he had finish with his laughing fit. "And if you can't get that to work, there's always cheese! Way less complicated than women." he added with a mischievous grin.  
Adrien rolled his eyes at him and then tried closing eyes once more; if he was going to get relationship or love advice from somebody, he figured that Plagg probably wasn't his best choice. Maybe he could ask Alya or Nino, or maybe even Marinette for some help at school in the morning, if they were willing to give it to him of course. One of them were bound to have an answer for him. A useful one anyway, unlike Plagg, who only seemed to mock him all the time. And even if they aren't useful, it still would give him something else to go on rather than his own thoughts. Eventually, after a bit more thought, the blonde model fell into an uneasy sleep, tossing and turning all night long as he dreamt of the spotted red girl who held his heart.  
The next day at school, after Adrien got out of the car and thanked the Gorilla, he started walking up the steps towards the school when he froze dead in his place.   
"Adrikins!" A familiar high pitched voice called from infront of him, and before he knew it, a blonde girl had wrapped her arms around his shoulders in a very uncomfortable embrace.  
"Hey, Chlo" He tried to greet her, faking a smile and brushing her arms off his shoulders awkwardly. He despised it when she thought it was okay to throw herself all over him, even if they were somewhat friends. She leant into his face to peck him on the cheek, but he resisted and made sure that she didn't succeed in this endeavor.  
Chloe shrugged and then waved at him once more as she began walking off to join Sabrina before class started. Adrien shuddered in disgust. Normally he would respect someone having those kind of feelings towards him, but Chloe made him feel extremely uncomfortable whenever she tried to touch him, maybe perhaps because she was trying to make it so obvious. He never wanted their relationship to mean anything more than friendship, and he sincerely hoped she would figure that out one day. Whatever the case was, Adrien didn't appreciate it, but no matter how much he said so, she never seemed to back off.  
He continued to walk up the stairs into the school grounds, when suddenly his eyes wandered and found his best friend Nino sitting over on a bench with the two girls, Alya and Marinette. He held his phone in his hand and they were all staring at the screen intently. Adrien's feet instinctively carried him towards the bench, he stood before them and waved.  
Marinette was the first one to look up, and her face instantly turned a bright red colour. She giggled and then attempted a wave back. He managed a smile at her.  
"Hey, dude!" Nino finally greeted putting his phone in his pocket and then standing up to fistbump Adrien's hand. "Was just showing the girls this new mix I created last night. Wanna see?" he offered.  
"Sure Nino, you'll have to show me at lunchtime." Adrien smiled again. He could count on his friends to make even the saddest or loneliest of days better.  
The bell rang at that moment, so the group of four walked together up to class, discussing the latest news that Alya had featured on her Ladyblog. Of course Adrien already knew about it because he was none other than the famous hero Chat Noir himself, although she would never know that. But for her sake, he tried to act genuinely intrigued by her footage, because it was the least he could do for her.  
During class he sat there in silence, they were being lectured on a subject that he was already familiar with thanks to his advanced homeschooling, so he decided to let his mind relax for the time being. He really wanted advice on his Ladybug situation, but didn't know how to go about asking for help. He knew he'd figure something out at lunch. All the positive memories of him and Ladybug seeping into his mind, like the time he met her, when she was just a clumsy beginner who had no idea what she was doing. How she instinctively used her wit whenever they were mid battle, every move thought and planned carefully. And when she and him battled their first akuma, she gained more experience and skill with every attack. The countless times when they had worked together as an unstoppable team to defeat any akuma that came their way. Even the time where they had supposedly kissed, although he had no memory of this particular instance, he had seen footage of the incident and it had never left his mind since. Just the thought of all these things put a goofy smile on his face.   
At lunch, the group all sat down to eat their food together, and began to converse on interesting topics like games they should play all together, places to hang around together outside of school and different ideas to promote Alya's Ladyblog.  
"Hey guys, I need advice on something quite urgent," Adrien finally mustered up some courage to ask the group. Nino, Marinette and Alya all smiled at him as if they were glad to help him out. "it's about a girl..." he continued feeling his cheeks flush red as he scratched the back of his neck awkwardly. For some reason Marinette went a bright shade of red as well, which confused Adrien because it was him needing the advice not her. Alya and Nino exchanged glances and smirked at one another nodding once. They both stood up simultaneously and excused themselves.  
"Well me and Nino should head to Biology together, but you can talk to Marinette about it on the way to physics," And just like that they walked off, probably a little bit too fast, because it made Adrien feel suspicious. He quickly shook off the emotion and then looked back at the small blue haired girl.  
"So do you think you could help me out?" he asked breaking the silence. Marinette went all different shades of pinks and reds, and if he was completely honest, if he wasn't infatuated with Ladybug, he'd say it was almost cute.  
"Y-yeah. What'd y-ou need help with?" She managed, as he was looking intently into her eyes. Her bright sapphire orbs were gleaming happily in the sunlight. She kind of looked like she was freaking out a little, but Adrien had no idea why.  
"Well I'm in love with a girl, and have been since I met her when we were 14. I've tried so hard to get in a relationship with her but she just keeps rejecting my feelings, and sends mixed messages back. What should I do Marinette?" he explained as they began to walk slowly up a set of stairs towards their next classroom. The bell rung abruptly and students in the corridor below began to disperse as they walked off in different directions to their classes.  
Marinette looked at him dead in the eye. She thought this situation sounded familiar in a way but she brushed that thought away as quickly as it came and continued to gaze into his emerald green eyes. "Well personally, I think if you've told this girl how you feel about her and she's only rejected you constantly, then maybe you should move on and find someone worth your time. You could like somebody who seems like the light to your darkness, but if they don't treat you that way, you need to find someone elsewhere who will." she finished, surprised that she didn't stutter a word of it. She also felt pretty guilty because she was being a bit of a hypocrite. She could only hope that by being there for him, he'd realise one day  
Adrien, however only continued to smile. He was glad that Alya and Nino walked off and that Marinette was the one to give him advice. He trusted Marinette, it was a very familiar sense, it almost reminded him of his lady. They both walked into class and sat down together, much to Chloe's disgust, who stormed to the other side of the room and sat next to Sabrina, spite and bitter resentment written all over her makeup caked face.  
As the lesson progressed, Marinette grew curious. Who was the girl he was madly in love with? And more importantly who would be stupid enough to reject THE Adrien Agreste?!? Everything about him was flawless, he was a model for gods sake! Everything from his golden hair to his intimidating emerald eyes was perfect. He was also a very nice person, willing to help out and stand up for people if he needed to, which was what made Marinette love the gorgeous blonde model even more. She could see no reason for anybody to reject him!  
Whilst the teacher had her back turned writing notes on the board, Adrien also felt his mind begin to wander once more, and made a mental note that he would have to stop doing this. He wondered about the raven haired girl beside him, and all the time they'd been in high school together. He was curious as to why she was always so nervous around him and why she could never seem to form a comprehensive sentence in his presence. It also made him curious as to why when he asked for help that she seemed to give him a coherent answer without thinking, as if all the other times didn't matter anymore. He'd also seen her stand up for their classmates in their time of need, up against people like Chloe, displaying quite a bit of confidence. Whatever the case was, he liked this confident Marinette and he wanted to get to know her better.  
This had been one of the first days since he met Ladybug that he hadn't been constantly thinking about her, he was surprised how much that this seemed to bother him last night but how little it did so now. It was true she did cross his mind a few times that day, but not nearly as many as she usually did.  
For the rest of the day, Marinette and Adrien hung out together during the school hours, for some reason Alya and Nino seemed to be avoiding them. Neither of the two seemed to mind much though. Apart from a few awkward silences, they both shared some pretty insightful and interesting conversations, something they were both not used to. Adrien knew Mari was quiet, but he'd always thought she didn't like him at all because of the gum incident when they first met. And now that she'd come out of her shell, he was seeing a whole new side of her. He wasn't going to lie... he liked it, and he liked it a lot.


	2. Chapter 2 - Part Of Me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Adrien smells croissants. None shall be safe...

A/N- I'm really enjoying writing this, Adrienette is my second favourite ship after Marichat of course. I'm still new to fanfiction writing so I would appreciate any constructive feedback. I'd like to thank the people who did write me some feedback, it really helped me in this chapter, because although I have an end goal in mind, I didn't know how I was going to get there. So I dedicate this update to you guys! :)  
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A small and lithe girl with windblown raven hair in a spotted red suit stood on the edge of a tall building beside him. They exchanged glances and both smiled warmly at one another. Paris was safe thanks to them. He reached out for her arm slowly, and as she turned her gaze from the city below to his eyes, she gave it to him. It was small in his grasp but soft and just as he always imagined it would feel. With this, Ladybug looked deep into his eyes and gave him a very flirty smile that drove his mind insane and then she began to pull him in closer. They were in each other's warm and comfortable embrace, they could feel each other's hearts beating together as one. They stood there for what seemed like a blissful eternity. Ladybug pulled back slightly and gazed upwards into his eyes again. He bent his neck down to her level. They both closed their eyes as their faces edged closer towards one another. It was at this moment that Adrien realised how perfect everything was.   
He opened his eyes after a while when his lips met only air, and then time stopped dead in its tracks. He was still holding both of her arms firmly in his grasp, only she was dangling over the edge of the building.  
She screamed as she looked down. Her yoyo was nowhere to be seen.  
"Adrien! Don't let go of me!" She shreiked through tears. Terrified, Adrien tried to harden his grip, he couldn't let her go  
He held on as tight as he possibly could. His strength was extraordinary because of his alter ego life that he lived, but even that wasn't enough. No matter how hard he held on, she seemed to slip out of his grip regardless. He had to, there was no way he was going to save her. He let go of her.  
Her screams echoed through the atmosphere, the kind of screams that made his blood run cold. It pierced through his gut and seered towards every end in his body. Her desperate shrieks for help tore through him, ripping his heart from his chest, shattering it into hundred of different pieces. He couldn't do anything. He was frozen still as a statue on the spot. She kept on falling, further and further until her small red body could be seen no longer and the harrowing cries went silent. He stood there, adrenaline pumping through his veins. He had let her go. He let his lady go.  
_________________________  
Adrien shot straight up in bed, sweat dripping down his face. What a terrible nightmare, he thought to himself. Why was this one recurring? He was breathing rapidly, every moment of that horrifying dream seemed to be replaying in his head. Why did he always let her go? Why did he always let her fall even though he wanted to keep a hold of her? He couldn't think straight, it had messed with his train of thought. So instead of going back to bed where the nightmares would probably continue to plague him, he decided to take a long thoughtful shower before he had to start getting ready for the day that await him at school.  
_________________________  
"Adrien? Hey, dude! Is anybody there?" Adrien awoke to the sound of his best friend waving his hands around his face. The fact dawned on him that the nightmares he had been having the past week had been depriving him of his much needed sleep. After a moment, when his brain had registered that another person was talking to him, he looked up into Nino's eyes, and emitted a long and deep audible breath which he hoped would express his tiredness.  
"How long was I out?" he questioned, almost unsurprised.  
"You passed out around five minutes after class started, so I'd say at least an hour." Nino replied, gathering up Adrien's things for him so they could go to lunch.  
"Sorry, I'm having trouble sleeping at the moment."  
"Well that much I figured for myself. Nightmares troubling you again?"   
Adrien nodded and then stretched as he yawned loudly. That wasn't the only reason why, but he figured Nino didn't need to know about his undying love for Paris's most renowned superheroes.  
"Bro you need some help, why don't you talk to somebody?" his best friend suggested.  
All the blonde boy could do was shrug. So he got up and followed Nino out of the classroom for lunch  
____________  
Lunch consisted of two things. Nino, Alya and Marinette discussing places to hang out after school, and Adrien desperately trying to keep his eyelids open. Key word: trying. Words that should have been used: failing miserably. Nino had laughed at this, he thought it was hilarious. Marinette had shot him worried looks every so often and Alya just constantly shook her head at him.  
When the bell had shaken him awake, he decided he'd better check his timetable to remember what class he had next.  
"You got physics with Mari," Alya finished for him over his shoulder, and walked off, hand in hand with his friend to wherever they were going. He quickly put away the paper again, and then wondered to himself how she knew that. He quickly brushed the thought away.  
He glanced down at his classmate who gave him a timid smile and a small wave. He gave her a friendly smile in return. They set off towards the science department.  
The silence between the two wasn't uncomfortable in Adrien's opinion, but it definitely wasn't pleasant either. It was slightly awkward because she couldn't seem to muster up any courage to say anything, and in turn he didn't know what to say to her. One thing was for sure, she definitely hated him and he aimed to change that.  
"So, Mari, what're you going to do when you finish school?" he asked, and then immediately regretted it because he already knew. She was going to fashion design. And she was really good at it too.  
"I'm going to design clothes, hopefully, how about you?" she replied. This caught him by surprise because she didn't seem to stutter a word of it.   
He thought for a moment, he didn't actually know. After all these years of being controlled by his father, he just assumed that after he finished school he'd continue the same path. Bu then he realised that wasn't what he wanted to do.  
"I'm not sure, but I don't want to continue with my father's work, that's for sure. I want to lead my own life, not one that's been set aside for me already." he put.  
"T-tha's very admirable, I Mean, t-to want to go y-your own way." She raised her hand to brush the loose hair in her face behind her ear. Her now visible cheeks were a very bright shade of pink.  
If Adrien wasn't madly in love with Ladybug, he would have almost thought that the action was adorable.  
"Thanks," he gave her another smile. This got him thinking though. He really wanted to know about his dream but he had no clue who to ask. He hadn't gone to Nino because Nino would have probably laughed at him. Alya seemed like a person who couldn't keep very many secrets, so she was out of the question as well. Which left the shy blue haired girl beside him. It was true she did give good advice to him the other day, and she seemed like a good secret keeper just because of how quiet she came across. He decided that if he was going to get advice from somebody, it was her or nobody.  
"Mari?" he asked gently. He watched as she jumped at the sudden mention of her name. The silence probably didn't help that to be fair. She looked up at him and then blushed a deep shade of red.  
"Y-yes?" she stammered, obviously trying to regain herself.  
Adrien chuckled at this, he had always noticed how clumsy she was, and it was pretty cute. Yet he had also noticed that she was usually confident around her classmates as well, everyone except him. He'd learnt to accept this fact, even thought it did kind of hurt that she didn't like him enough to talk to him properly.  
"I keep having nightmares, and I didn't know who to talk about them to until now."  
He watched as she took a deep breath in, it looked like she was trying to compose herself.  
"Of course I you can help. I MEAN CAN HELP YOU!" The words came out jumbled, as she often did around him. He had to admit that this was pretty funny.  
During the rest of the trip to class, he explained his recurring dream in great detail, making sure to tell it as it was, but without mentioning his lady.  
They had sat together, much to Chloe's disgust, and continued their conversation over paper so the teacher wouldn't hear.  
It sounds like you must really love this girl then , she wrote. He noticed her eyes had found his as she passed the page back to him to write something. There was something off about them.  
I do, quite a lot actually. But it goes unnoticed. he hastily scribbled and handed it back to her. She opened it and then looked at him again. This time he could have sworn that the look in her eyes was lonesome, if not, then longing. A certain glint gave Adrien the impression that there was a world of darkness behind them. He couldn't understand why though, she of all people seemed optimistic, not to mention she had a pretty awesome home life. he couldn't see any reason for her to be upset.   
She stared at the page as if deep in thought, and then she picked up her pen to write a reply. She handed it back.  
I know how that feels.  
Adrien glanced at the raven haired girl for a moment and sighed for her. How could anybody be so oblivious to sweet Marinette? She was kind, confident, and pretty much everything else. She looked troubled at this moment, and he just wanted to hug her better. Whoever the douche was that didn't appreciate her for who she is didn't deserve her. He glided his pen across the paper.  
Well, what a douche he is, give me his name so I can beat him up for you  
He handed the slip to her, and chuckled as her entire face lit up at his note. She giggled, probably a little too loud, because the teacher turned around and scolded them both for passing notes. Adrien could hear Chloe and Sabrina sniggering from the desk across from them, and he glared daggers in return.  
After school had finished for the day, he ran up to meet his friends who were huddled just outside the school's entrance.  
Nino had Alya in his arms, cuddling her comfortably as Marinette conversed with them.  
"So my bakery in about half an hour?" the ravenette asked the duo.  
"What's this about?" The blonde model questioned as he approached the group.  
"We're going to Mari's to do some homework together, you know for moral support and stuff. You're welcome to join, if you aren't busy?" Alya offered.  
Adrien thought about his usually busy schedule and remembered that Natalie, his father's assistant, had cancelled this afternoon's photoshoot because the photographer couldn't make it.  
He gave a thumbs up, "Sounds good, see you in about half an hour then," he said, as he walked towards the limo that was awaiting him.  
The trip to his home was extremely long and unnerving, Natalie had greeted him by informing him that his father wished to speak to him as soon as he got home. This in Adrien's mind always meant trouble. He could have sworn that his father only cared about him when it came to photoshoots and preserving the Agreste name. That was also one of the most prominent reasons why he missed his mother so much, because his mother was compassionate, kind and loving. His father didn't care about him unless it meant he was at stake somehow.  
This filled Adrien with a deep sense of sorrow, and maybe even disappointment. He could feel his stomach churning with nerves, he hoped his father would go easy on him.  
As he carried himself up the dreaded steps that lead to the doorway of his father's office, Adrien found himself dreading the next few moments to come. He rapped his fist gently on the door, until he heard a quiet "you may enter". And so he did.  
"Good evening father," he faked a smile. His father's stone cold facial expressions didn't change a bit, he remained as emotionless as ever.  
"As you know your photoshoot was cancelled, I just wanted to let you know that it has been rescheduled for tomorrow at lunchtime, which will be followed up by the 3pm one as well just as planned." His father turned away to look back at his paperwork on his desk. He never seemed to have any personal time to spend with Adrien, and this made Adrien feel very neglected.  
"In case you didn't realise, Adrien, when I stop talking that means you can leave," he looked his father in the eyes, they were an icy blue which suited his very cold personality.  
The blonde boy nodded with a frown and turned to walk out, the door slammed behind him with a very loud THUD as he continued on his way. Before his father had let him go to public school, loneliness had been his only friend, there for him every time of day. Apart from Chloe of course, but even then, he didn't really see her often or enjoy her presence very much. Ever since his mother had disappeared, Adrien felt like he was the most isolated and alone person on the planet. That was why he missed her so much, because when she went away, his father barely acknowledged his existence.  
The blonde boy had mixed emotions running a marathon through his head, he decided he would start walking to Marinette's place now. His friends always made everything better. He sincerely hoped that the sight of them would put a newfound smile upon his face.  
As he was walking, something in his stomach was making him feel sick. He stopped to think about it carefully for a second. Was it fluttering? and if it was, did that mean he was nervous?   
He quickly shooed the thought away and continued on until he saw the familiar sign of the Dupain-Cheng Bakery just ahead of him.  
Excitement flowed through him, he could almost smell the croissants from here. he felt his legs carry him forward without effort. He was coming for them, and none of them would be safe once Adrien Agreste got there.


	3. Chapter 3 - Study Session

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Adrien goes over to Mari's house for an afternoon. What could possibly go wrong?

Pushing open the door of the bakery, Adrien's nose encountered the heavenly scent of all the freshly baked pastries awaiting inside. He could smell a mixture of fruity essences as well as the mouthwatering aroma of freshly baked bread, wafting through the air. When he looked around he saw shelves full of cupcakes, macaroons, croissants and pretty much anything else. In the stands there were delicate looking layered cakes that were each carefully decorated in their own unique ways. The tables for customers each came with a vase of fresh flowers, which was unnecessary in his opinion, because the room was already beautiful enough.  
He was so distracted he didn't even notice a small Chinese woman walk out from behind the counter to greet him. He turned to her and smiled when he saw her. She had short blue hair, much like Marinette's, and wore an apron over her dress.  
"Hello, how can I help you, dear?" she greeted him politely.  
"Hey, my name's Adrien, I'm one of Marinette's friends, she organized study session here after school?"  
He watched as she smiled. "I'm Marinette's mother, but you can call me Sabine. She's upstairs in her room." Adrien then watched as she began to chuckle. "She talks a lot about you, you know?"  
Confusion swept through him like a storm. Did he hear that right? Why would Mari talk about him? She probably ranted about how much she hated him, because that was what made the most sense to him. The thought was brushed away as her mother told him to head on up, handing him a few treats from the stands.  
He decided it would be very polite if he knocked on her door before entering, and so that was exactly what he did.  
"Hey, Mari, it's me, can I come in?" he asked through the door.  
He heard a CRASH. There were footsteps wandering all around her room and he could have sworn he heard a panicked scream or two.  
"Give me a minute!" He heard her yell from inside. He wondered why he sensed a frightened tone in her voice. He stood there in silence, feeling slightly awkward for around thirty seconds before the door swung open to reveal a very sweaty and flustered looking Marinette hiding behind it.  
Adrien flashed her a friendly smile and a wave. He watched as she turned a very deep shade of red, much like she usually did. He felt himself raise one of his arms to scratch he back of his neck, once again the feeling of awkwardness creeping back up on him.  
"Were you okay? There was a lot of loud noises in there before," he asked, giving her a sincere look of concern.  
"Y-yeah... uh... I was just doing some... Cleaning! Yes cleaning!" her eyes looked to the ground as she avoided his eye contact. He looked past her at her room and various pinks flooded his vision. When his eyes adjusted to this, he laid eyes on many posters that were stuck to her walls. They featured many different models showing off plenty of different varieties of fashion-wear. He also noticed several family photos in one corner. She had a messy computer desk, accompanied by a sewing station, obviously where she created all of her fantastic designs. There was a ladder that lead to her bed and a trapdoor just above that. And to complete her room, he saw a comfortable looking chaise in the corner.  
"I love your room, it's so cozy" he complimented her, walking through the door when she gestured him inside.  
"T-thanks Adrien, would you like anything to drink?" she offered, a tray of juice sitting on her desk. He accepted, and observed as she carefully poured him a glass. Her hands were shaking. Was she nervous? What was she nervous about? His newfound curiosity prevented him from thinking straight.  
"Mari, do I make you nervous?" he blurted, regretting it instantly. Why did he have to ask that? He already knew the answer after all. He felt himself internally cringe, and hoped to death that she would just ignore the question, or maybe she didn't hear. But he knew that this would have been too good to be true, he had practically shouted at her.   
"N-nooooo. Why w-would you think that?" she managed, handing him the glass full of juice, turning her back to pour her own drink. Damnit she had heard him.  
Adrien felt himself frown as he stared at the juice in his hands. That was a very hesitant answer. He figured he'd already dug himself a hole, so he continued on.  
"Then why are you always jumpy and on edge when you talk to me?"   
A stillness silent enough you could hear a pin drop swept across the room. He watched as Marinette bit her bottom lip and began fiddling with the glass cup in her hands. Her eyes shifted towards the posters that plastered her walls. Adrien regretted everything he had said, wished he could take it all back. He should have kept his mouth shut.  
"I'm sorry, Mari, I shouldn't have asked such a personal question." he found himself apologising. He was such a dumbass. Why did he have to ruin a good moment like this.  
Marinette looked at him and then gave a very small smile.  
"It's okay, I'm sorry if I appear that way to you."  
"Hey dudes! Who's ready for a full on study session?" A voice interrupted, coming from the doorway. They both glanced over to see Nino walking into her room, closely followed behind by Alya. They both had their school books in hand.  
"Sure!" The two awkward teens chanted together. Anything to distract them from the conversation they just had.   
For the next half hour, the four friends all worked on their English assignments as a team. The room was filled with the quiet sound of idle chatter, completed with the faint smell of treats that Adrien occasionally munched on in between writing notes.  
__________  
"This is fantastic, Mari! I can't critisise anything!" Alya complimented the raven haired girl's assignment. She looked at Nino and Adrien and handed Marinette's paper to them and watched as they both scanned over her work.  
"I agree with Alya, this is almost flawless," Adrien gaped and Nino nodded slowly beside him.  
Marinette couldn't help but blush at that comment, she wondered how that made her look from his perspective.  
"Well, I should get going, I have to babysit the twins tonight," Adrien watched as Alya stood up and began to make her way outside the room, back towards the bakery. He giggled when he noticed Nino jump up and follow her like a pet dog. He definitely liked her a lot, the blonde could tell just by the way his friend looked at her.  
Subconsciously, his eyes wandered to the lithe blue haired girl that stood just a few meters from him. She wore her hair in two pigtails like she normally did, as well as her clothing, which she also seemed to wear quite often. She had on the same pink jeans and white floral top as she normally did, and she completed the look with her dark grey blazer. The outfit seemed to hug her curvy figure nicely. His emerald eyes found her friendly bluebell ones. He stared deep into them, wondering her innermost thoughts. He knew she had always been a pretty girl, but had she always been this pretty?  
"Bye Alya and Nino!" she called after them. She turned to face him, and he noticed how her face began to deepen in colour. He had to diffuse the ever growing tension somehow.  
"Well since they're gone, did you want to do some physics? I could use some of your notes since I was asleep yesterday and talking to you most of today." He chuckled awkwardly. Marinette simply nodded and walked to the chaise where her schoolbag was sitting. She pulled out her physics notebook and sat down right beside where Adrien was seated.  
She handed him the book and he began copying her notes down hastily.   
"Thanks, Mari!" He watched as she giggled.  
"A-anything for you, Adrien!" she stuttered. He really did appreciate her trying to help him out, even if he did already know all the stuff they were learning in class. Homeschooling was to thank for that. But he didn't have the heart to tell her this, and if he was honest, he was enjoying being in her presence, even if they weren't saying much to one another.  
Once he had finished, he closed his book and put his things back into his school bag. Mari was still beside him, and looked like she was reciting some of the concepts in her head. He chuckled at this, he thought her look of deep concentration was extremely endearing. She looked up at him when she heard him laughing slightly. He didn't move his gaze even a little bit.  
"Something wrong?" she inquired, raising an eyebrow at him. If he wasn't already sitting down, he might have fallen over. She just said something coherent around him! Even added a bit of cockiness to it. Happiness seared through him, he was finally making progress!  
"Not at all, Mari," he grinned mischievously, hoping to provoke some sort of cocky response. His gaze didn't shift as he observed her face begin to mirror his. Her lips mimicked his own.  
"I find your lack of truth disturbing..."  
Adrien burst out in a fit of laughter. This girl was amazing! After such a long time without a proper conversation, here she was referencing one of his favourite movies!  
"A Star Wars reference? That was awesome, Mari!" He found himself giggling like a little school girl as he leant backwards on the chair he was situated upon. He still couldn't take his eyes off her, watching as she giggled too. Her usually pink complexion was pale. The blonde supposed this was what she looked like naturally, when she wasn't nervous around him anyway. Her hair shone like the sea at night, the many dark blue strands tied back into her usual hairstyle of two pigtails glistened a shade of white from the rays of sunlight that travelled in through her window. Her eyes gave off a very confident impression to him, and made him feel as if she could handle anything that came her way. He was sure that was the case anyway. He couldn't help but notice the strange feeling in his gut. It made him feel slightly queasy, and there was a fluttering pain building up in his chest. Was he getting sick or something?  
"Seriously, I need help with physics, Adrien. Not to mention, you could use my notes too, since our test is next week." Mari narrowed her eyes at him and then opened her book to the page they had been on previously that day. He decided it would be wise if he did the same, he figured that their time mucking round was cutting into their much needed catch up time. Although he was already familiar with the concepts they were required to understand due to his homeschooling life, Adrien was more than willing to help the small ravenette with her studies.  
"Here," he went to hand her his notebook, "take mine, I've already learnt all about this topic anyway, so I won't need your notes, but, you might find my notes more helpful than your textbook." The model offered her a friendly smile.   
She hesitated as she looked him in the eye, all the confidence melted away instantaneously. He pushed the book gently into her awaiting hand and she felt herself go crimson in the face. She allowed her arm to accept the offering, yet her eyes dare not move. Marinette felt her face redden even more as his friendly smile deepened. Man, why was she such a screw up?  
For the next half hour or so, he assisted the small girl with her revision homework. He learnt that she was an extremely quick learner, as she picked up all the concepts pretty fast. The feeling in his gut didn't disappear, however, and this made him seriously worried, he hoped he wasn't going to be sick or anything. Especially not over at someone else's place, that would be just plain embarrassing, and then he would feel obligated to clean it up for them. These thoughts swirled around and remained in his head for the entire study session, and he wondered if he was just overthinking things. He would have to stop this, or he'd never sleep again. Then he'd have to come over to Marinette's all the time in order to study and catch up.   
But then again, was that really such a bad thing?  
He had to admit, an afternoon practically alone with the girl had made him appreciate her company just that little bit more. Before today, he had always believed that establishing a friendship with her would have been near impossible. However, now, he had some hope after all. Maybe, just maybe, with a little effort and a lot of time, she might open up to him, they could become close friends. He felt himself grin at the thought. His alter ego life certainly helped him out when it came to talking to people. This was something he made a mental note of striving to achieve.  
"Done!" she exclaimed happily and shut the book, tossing it aside. She celebrated by throwing her arms in the air and resting backwards on her chair.  
"Good job, Mari, you're a very quick learner!" Adrien complimented.  
"N-no, I can't take a-all the credit! You're g-great teacher!" Marinette stuttered. Damnit. Well at least he had come close to normal conversation several times that afternoon. He was going to call this a win, regardless.  
In honor of their hard work, Marinette offered to put on a movie for the blonde boy and her to watch. Although his father was probably going to be furious, he pushed the thought to the back of his mind and gladly accepted.  
While the characters on the screen were having a conversation regarding each other, Adrien jumped in surprise as he felt a head rest on the tip of his shoulder. Turning his head gently, he noticed Mari had fallen asleep beside him, or rather half on him, and he found himself chuckling. Her hair was messy, and smelt like strawberries. Yes her face looked so peaceful. If he didn't know otherwise, he would have thought that she resembled Ladybug. But that wasn't possible. Was it?  
She jolted upright as the credits began to roll, and Adrien gave her an amused expression.  
"Sleep well?" he teased.  
Her face widened in realization as she worked out what had happened.  
"I'm s-so sorry!" She apologised, stressing herself out.  
The blonde model chuckled once more and raised an arm to her shoulder for comfort.  
"No harm done at all. I'd better get going. My father is probably going to kill me."  
So Marinette waved him off goodbye. The boy walked home that night with a very noticeable spring in his step. This was probably the happiest he had been since his mother had mysteriously disappeared, and he wouldn't have traded this afternoon for the world. He wondered if Mari felt the same. But he realised, it didn't matter, today was progress of some sort. This made him jump with joy. Hopefully she would warm up to him in a friendly way soon. How lucky he felt to have such wonderful friends in his life.


	4. Chapter 4 - Overthought

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Adrien gets his sass on... Well kind of. And Mari overthinks things as usual...

"I'm very disappointed in you son," the harsh and stone cold tone of his father's voice echoed throughout their unnecessarily large and empty home, making him feel a deep sense of loneliness. Although he wasn't looking, he could feel the prying eyes watching his every move as he avoided the direct form of contact. Not only was Adrien feeling sorry for himself, but newfound anger began to surge through his body.  
"I'm sorry I was out so late, Father, I was studying for school with my friends."  
A volt of fear ran through his spine, sending out cold shivers as he awaited his father's reply.  
"You should be using your spare time to practice your piano or Chinese, not muck around with other kids your age! You're wasting time! Not only that, but they're obviously a bad influence on you." Gabriel began to raise his voice.  
As if he was a boiling kettle, the whistle on his top was about to blow. He felt himself unable to stop the oncoming wave of frustration. His fists clenched at his sides. How dare he say that about his friends?  
"Father, you're wrong!" he blurted out, listening as his voice echoed against the walls surrounding him. He watched as the stern facial expression on his father melted into a taken aback one.  
"Excuse me?"   
"I said, you're WRONG!" Adrien finished, feeling himself getting more emotional than necessary. He took a deep breath to calm himself. His father stood in a solemn silence. "You're wrong, Father! My friends are the most fantastic people in this world. They've supported me through more than you ever have! As soon as Mum left us, I became just a trophy to you! I'm done. Done with being your puppet. I can't keep living a life like this. I do absolutely everything you ask of me, and it's never good enough for you! Do you think I like having my entire life planned out for me? Everything being dictated to me? Of course I don't, I'm not a slave or a something to mess around with when you're bored. I'm a person too, Father, and I wish you'd start treating me like one. Stop blaming my want for freedom on the people I hang around, because they aren't the problem, you are!"   
His father looked at him with sadness visible in his eyes. This was something Adrien never saw in him. However, the blonde should have known better than to expect his father to open up to him.  
"How dare you speak to me like that, I am your parental guardian, you ungrateful boy!" His father's voiced boomed across the house, and maybe if the model hadn't heard him talking to his agents like that all the time, he might feel afraid. But all he felt was utter resentment.  
"Well then maybe you should start acting LIKE ONE!"  
The loud sound of his footsteps was carried all throughout the mansion. He felt his legs carrying him away from his dad and towards his room. Maybe he could simmer down there without the heavy pressure being put on his shoulders.  
He opened his door and slammed it loudly behind him. He looked around. His huge collection of movies and books. His giant skateboard rink. The gaming arcade machines. His giant TV. Even his own private bathroom. It all meant absolutely nothing to him. A single wet droplet rolled down his cheek and splashed into the floor. He had what every person would dream of owning. But he would willingly trade everything he had for a happy family once more. He would gladly give him fame and riches to see his mother once more. The vague memory of her sunshine blonde hair shimmering like gold in the sunlight, the way her eyes glittered like emeralds. It made his heart ache. He longed for her touch. For her to kiss him goodnight. For one of her compassionate hugs. But if all of that was too much to ask for, more than anything, he wished he had the chance to say goodbye.  
___________  
If Marinette had ever freaked out about anything in her life, she had never been as freaked out as she was at this moment. Tikki had tried to calm her down, but nothing seemed to work. The blue haired girl was too worked up. She kept pacing backward and forwards in the same spot, the small kwami swore she was going to wear a hole into it.  
What was she thinking? She was such a mess around Adrien that afternoon, it was shameful! Not only had she tried to ignore his very fair question, but then she proceeded to fall asleep on him!  
He probably thought she was a total weirdo. She could forget about him ever noticing her. Marinette frowned and then looked over to her wall. She had covered it up with posters of other fashion designers to conceal her embarassing collection of posters of Adrien, in an attempt to prevent him from thinking she was any weirder than he already did. She felt extremely ashamed in herself. Although, if she was proud of one thing, it was the fact that the two had shared an actual conversation where there was no stuttering or awkwardness at all.  
A tiny amount of weight pressed against her shoulder, and she could feel tiny hands patting her neck gently.  
"Mari, you've been at this for the past three hours, I'm sure it's completely fine. Seriously, you're overreacting!" the tiny voice called. It felt sympathetic and allowed the girl to relax, but only slightly.  
"He thinks I'm weird. Don't deny it! I'm never going to get him to notice me at this point!" the raven haired girl wailed, slumping down on her chaise in defeat.   
"Why would anyone think you're weird? You're not, you're unique, there's a significant difference" Tikki sighed, Marinette often freaked out over stupid little things like this. Despite there being a huge hassle each time, she usually got over it and figured out a solution. The small creature had faith in the girl, she was certainly capable of solving this, even if she disagreed.  
"I know you're probably right, but I certainly screwed up. I had a perfect opportunity to tell him how I feel about him and all I did was make it awkward for the both of us. Urrrrrrrgh! Why does he have to be so perfect that I can't think straight!?" Marinette sighed and then rested her head on the back of her chaise.  
Tikki was at a loss on what to say. She could only hope that her holder would soon figure out and resolve this conflict on her own.  
"What if you did tell him then? Maybe he has feelings for you too?" the kwami suggested, shrugging her teeny little shoulders.  
"Don't be ridiculous! I can't even talk to him properly, why would he like me? And besides, if I can't even talk to him, why would I confess my undying love for him?"  
This girl was definitely overreacting. Tikki had tried to tell her this many times before, because she was notorious for it, but the blue haired superheroine would never listen no matter how much sense she attempted to talk into her.  
Marinette sat there for a long while and just stared into the distance. If she could have counted all the different things that were running through her mind right at that moment, she would have been stuck in that position for all of eternity. Her thoughts wandered off to school. How would she ever go to school again? He would be there, awaiting her in the seat just in front of her as he always was. How could she face him after being such a weirdo around him the day previously? Granted she knew she was probably overreacting, he was too nice to think poorly of anybody, that was probably why he put up with Chloe and her shenanigans. However, this didn't stop her from overthinking, not one bit.   
She groaned. How was she ever going to marry the love of her life if she couldn't get through one afternoon without freaking out. After all she had fallen asleep on Adrien Agreste. She was pretty sure that outdid every other girl in Paris in terms of how close anybody had gotten to the model. Heck, Chloe would glow green with raging envy. That thought made her grin to herself. A  
She wondered about how she would explain this entire situation to Alya, the blogger would internally combust when she broke the news to her. Marinette had lost count of the many times she had made statements about how she "ships" them together. It was nice of her, but it certainly got annoying after a while.  
The blue haired girl pulled out her phone and shot her best friend a text.  
Marinette: Hey Alya!!  
She didn't have to wait long though, she figured that would be the case as the red haired girl always had her phone on hand. Tikki decided to retreat to the pillow that resided beside the bed and get some rest.  
Alya: Hey girl, how was the "study session"?  
Marinette didn't know if she liked the implications her friend was making.  
Marinette: Mortifying! I fell asleep on him!  
Alya: Dayuuuum Mari! I was only joking! I didn't expect u to take it that far! I hope u 2 wore protection ;)  
Marinette: Get ur mind outta the gutter, we just watched a movie together and I got comfortable  
Alya: Woulda been so adorable too! Damnit me and Nino shouldn't've left.   
Marinette: I'm freaking out about it. What if he thinks I'm weird? WHAT IF HE HATES ME NOW???  
Alya: I doubt that Mari, did he wake u up?  
Marinette: No he didn't, he laughed at me when I did though  
Alya: Girl, he's totally into u. No guy lets a enjoys a girl sleeping on him unless he likes her.  
Marinette: Don't kid urself, I'm invisible to him. He wouldn't notice me, I'm too ordinary.  
Alya: Bullsh*t! U have that attitude and ur gonna die alone  
Marinette: The love advice he wanted was about another girl, Alya, I know it was.  
Alya: Whatever u say, I know love when I see it, so if you'll excuse me I'm gonna go out and pick my bridesmaid dress  
Marinette: Even if I did marry him, what makes you think you'd be my bridesmaid?  
Alya: Mari, please. Now you're just embarrassing urself. Gtg, babysitting awaits.  
With that the blue haired girl turned off her phone tossed it aside. She figured a good nights sleep was a start in regards to how she was going to tackle school the next day. Slipping into her pajamas, she hastily jumped into bed and pulled the covers up over her body, which immediately engulfed her in a comfortable warmth. Slowly but surely, she drifted off into a nice deep sleep.  
______  
Ladybug drifted in and out of Adrien's mind, plaguing him, and preventing him from his much needed sleep. That and the conversation he had with his father earlier. He had already given up trying, so he decided it would be more beneficial to, instead of attempt to sleep, patrol around Paris for a while to get things off his mind. Plagg had insisted on plenty of cheese as payment for being woken up in the middle of the night, which the blonde model had been happy to oblige.   
Running across rooftops, leaping from ledge to ledge, Adrien continued on his way, letting his instinct carry him forth. With every extension of his baton, every leap off his feet, he felt the ginormous pressure of being the son of Gabriel Agreste lifting off of his shoulders and freeing him of the burden he never wanted to carry.  
He sat ontop of the Eiffel Tower, pondering deeply about the events to come. What was he going to do about his Ladybug situation? Should he confess to her? He tried to picture his lady in his mind, attempting to focus on one thing at once. However, he found it really strange that the only thing that came to mind was his shy classmate, Marinette. He was still in disbelief that she had managed to speak coherent words around him, it gave him solace to know that his efforts were finally somewhat paying off. Hopefully with a little more time and convincing, she would trust him a little more, after all she did fall asleep on him. That was a step in the right direction in his mind.  
He shook his head quickly, he wasn't out to think about Marinette, or even Ladybug for that matter, he was out to clear his mind, and hopefully get over the fact that he had literally called his father a terrible parent.  
He froze. The thought had crossed his mind before, but he never contemplated the consequences of his actions. He had insulted his father. What did that mean for him in terms of repercussions? Would he be pulled from school? Would his friends be blamed again for being bad influences? Would he be once again condemned to the solitude of the giant empty house he lived in? A painful shot of panic swept through his body, making him shiver in fear. His father was not a man to annoy or toy with, and he knew from firsthand experience that you wouldn't want top get on his bad side. In another way his terror faded to a deep sorrow that engulfed him. He figured that it wasn't normal to be low-key scared of your own Dad, and he only wished that they could share a standard parental/son relationship. When he had lost his kind and compassionate mother, he had also lost his father.  
He was entranced in thought, trapped in his own mind for what seemed like forever, until the soft glow of the city beneath him caught his attention. Yellow lights illuminated the streets and orange ones the buildings that covered every inch of his vision. It wasn't perfectly arranged as such, but it still seemed aesthetically pleasing to his eyes. He watched as the few cars that still remained outside moved slowly to their destinations. He glanced upwards towards the glowing sky. The crescent moon resided in view along with the countless amounts of twinkling lights that sparkled beautifully.   
It seemed peaceful almost, something that he, as a superhero, was fairly unfamiliar with. Even though he enjoyed his commitment as Chat Noir, he had to admit it's a pretty tiring job to handle. His shoulders lowered as he took a deep breath in and then exhaled. This was the first time in his life he had ever felt relaxed.   
After a bit more wondering about current events, Adrien decided to go home and sleep it off, or at least try to anyway. He was now content with the fact that he would have to face his father in the morning, because he was going to stand his ground again. The blonde model did not regret telling his father how he felt, and sincerely hoped that the punishment wouldn't be too severe.  
As soon as he jumped into the window, he detransformed and handed his hungry kwami some more cheese to shut him up until morning, before he himself hopped into the covers and closed his eyes without a second to lose.


	5. Chapter 5 - The Dawning of Truth

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things get intense

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Guys I apologise so much for the inconsistent uploading of chapters lately. School started back up and the assessment pressure is intense. Thanks for understanding, hope you enjoy :) p.s we about to get interesting here ;) ;)

He awoke to the glistening rays of light, radiating from his enormous window. The sound of pigeons cooing happily and basking in the morning sunlight filled him with an indescribable sense of joy, allowing happiness to flow through him as he stretched his arms outwards in a yawn. He would have predicted it to be a very good day judging by the weather outside, that is, if the memories of the previous day hadn't have came flooding back into his mind. The boy groaned, wishing he that he could lie in bed forever. Facing his father was probably one of the last things he ever wanted to do right now. He would definitely have some new method of torturing him for what he said yesterday. Maybe Adrien would be forced to undertake another extra-curricular so that he had less free time to himself? That seemed like something the old guy would do.  
Reluctantly, Adrien arose from the safety of his bedsheets and began to prepare himself both physically and mentally for the scolding to come. He threw on his usual clothes and neatened up his hair. Plagg hid in the pocket of his over shirt and accompanied the model as he made the dreaded trip down to the dining room, where his father was inevitably waiting for him to make an appearance.  
_________  
Gabriel Agreste sat at the huge table in the dining room, just like he did every other morning, and awaited his son to show up. There were plates of food in the center, just sitting there waiting to be eaten. However there was way too much for just him. He held a tablet in his hands and continued to plan his latest fashion line release. Adrien slowly made his way to a chair, opposite of his father and sat down, feeling rather tense. He wouldn't have called it awkward, just extremely uncomfortable. The cold aura given off by his dad didn' even begin to scratch the surface of this problem. It was kind of sad that his father could make him feel that way.  
He decided it would be best if he said something first, so eventually, when he mustered up enough courage, the model cleared his throat.  
"Good morning, Father..." he spoke as clearly and confidently as he possibly could, but even he could have noticed the fear in his own tone, and he sincerely hoped that his father wouldn't take advantage of this fact.  
Gabriel looked up from his work and nodded.  
"Good morning, son. I trust you slept well?" Adrien was confused, he was expecting an immediate scolding for his behavior. He reached out and helped himself to a croissant. he replied a polite yes to the man across from him and awkwardly munched on the pastry in his hands.  
"As always," He lied, but despite that, he had to admit he had almost forgot what a solid 4 hours or more felt like.  
"I hope so, you have a photoshoot scheduled for this afternoon as soon as school finishes. I need you to be there and look perfect because it's for my next line of shirts coming out." His father didn't even look up from his tablet as he said this to his son. He continued to tap away, neglecting the fact Adrien was practically death glaring him as all of his fear faded away instantaneously.   
The blonde boy was fuming, had his father completely ignored the conversation they had had yesterday? Was he daft or something?  
"Before you begin to disrespect me again, I'll have you know I cancelled all of your plans next week so you can do whatever you please with your spare time. One week though, and one week only. And if I find out you've done anything to tarnish the Agreste name in any way, shape or form, I will not be so generous again." The tension faded in the room, and Adrien's anger dissolved like aspirin in water. This certainly wasn't the greatest thing in the world ever, but it was his father actually letting him do something and it was one week where he could hang out with his friends and actually have a normal teenaged life. Whatever the case, he was grateful for this opportunity and was not going to pass it down.  
He thanked his father as he finished the remaining crumbs of his breakfast, and then wandered to the front of his house where the Gorilla was awaiting him in the limo.  
Nino wasn't at school that day, Alya had informed him that he had the stomach bug. He had accepted the fact that he would be lonely in Maths and English in terms of someone to sit next to. He wasn't completely bummed out because he still had Marinette and Alya to hang out with during lunchtimes. It would be a perfect opportunity to get to know the shy girl more like he kept telling himself he wanted to do.  
His thoughts were interrupted by the all too familiar screaming of the mayor's daughter from behind him.   
"Adrien! Help me! The nasty girl is out to get me!" she shrieked, panic evident in her voice. She threw herself over him, wrapping her arms around his waist for protection. He sighed.  
"What's wrong Chloe? Who did you piss off this time?" Adrien did not want to solve her problems for her. Nor did he feel like being her teddy bear whenever something went bad. He would stick to being her friend and nothing else.  
She narrowed her eyebrows at him for a split second before she reverted back to the drama queen pose. One hand on her hips and the back of her other rested on her forehead.  
"Oh Adrikins! This is a serious predicament!This girl in the school yard was pulling pranks! Now she's out to get me too!" She screamed, pointing to the door of the classroom.   
The blonde model stared at the girl in yellow in disbelief. Was she actually being serious?   
CRASH!  
Screams erupted from the back of the classroom where a huge hole in the wall had exploded. A former student stood in the middle of the explosion, a devilish smile sprawled across her face as she laughed maniacally, slowly advancing forwards. Replacing her casual clothing, she wore a clown costume. Even her face was covered in scary looking make up. She placed her hands in her pockets and pulled out various different trinkets Adrien had never seen before. One of them looked like it resembled an air horn, but he couldn't have been sure as he had never actually seen one before. Another looked like a small pouch, but it was filled with something smelly, which he figured most likely a stink bomb.  
"Hey, Hey, HEY! It's everyone's favourite class clown, Miss Chievous! For my next act, I'm gonna need a volunteer from the audience. Preferably a spoilt brat dressed yellow, maybe with blonde hair!"  
Chloe screamed and then ran outside of the door as fast as her short legs could carry her. Adrien shook his head and rolled his eyes. She had the heart of a lion.  
"Everybody out!" he ordered, and ushered people to exit the classroom. People all around the place poured out of the school to escape the wrath of the akuma.  
"Alya, run, I'll be right behind you, I just have to grab something!" He heard Marinette assure her friend from the other side of the space. His gaze turned to Alya who was too busy getting her phone out to film the events unfurling in front of her eyes. She nodded and made her way out, grasping the device tightly in her hands. He wanted to yell at her. Tell her to run also. But his thoughts were interrupted.  
The victim hurled stink bombs at him, which he dodged with his superhero reflexes. There was an explosion behind him, and an awful stench polluted the air. It was a mixture between really old eggs and something dead, at least thats what he thought anyway. His hands muffled his mouth and nose as he coughed his lungs out, trying desperately to reach fresh air. He ran outside of the classroom and into the nearest janitor closet, shutting the door abruptly behind him in hopes nobody had seen him go in.  
"Plagg, come on! We've got a city to save!" he exclaimed to his pocket. A tiny black cat flew out and looked at him with a tired expression, as if he had been doing stuff all day long, when in fact he had actually been pigging out on camembert. "Plagg, claws out!"  
He held out his hand and watched as the small kwami was sucked into his black ring.  
The small space was engulfed in a bright green light as the skin tight leather cat suit wrapped itself around the model, and where Adrien once stood, Paris's saviour, Chat Noir now replaced him.   
Kicking the door of the closet open, his superhero instincts carried him forwards, across the courtyard and back in the classroom he had previously fled moments ago. He glanced around the now empty and seemingly deserted room. There wasn't a soul in sight. However there was now another hole in the wall, and where the tall window that gave a view of the city was smashed into thousands of tiny and dangerous shards. He walked up through the rows of desks and something pink and floral caught his eyes. It was a handbag decorated with intriqute patterns. He immediately recognised the material. It was Marinette's.   
Fear surged through his veins, his gulped as his stomach made a small flip at this. She could be absolutely anywhere. So he had no reason to panic, right? But the voice in the back of his head was contradicting those thoughts. It was highly possible Mari had been captured by the akuma, and if that was the case, it was entirely his fault. He should have pushed through the gas to save her. He should have told her to run. Now because he didn't, she could be in trouble.  
He picked it up and looked at the decorations carefully, the designs on it were so unique, it definitely reminded him of her. Placing it gently on her seat, he retreated from the classroom through the hole in the wall, and extended his baton to the neighbouring building. If she had been indeed captured by the so called "Miss Chievous", then the best possible thing he could do to help her was break the object where the akuma was hiding.  
Landing with both feet on the ground, he looked around, searching for any signs of where the akuma had gone. If he wasn't preoccupied with ]chasing one of Hawkmoth's slaves, he probably would have better noticed the clear sky above his head. Today was shaping up to be a really nice day apart from the obvious.   
He stopped when he heard a pair of small feet creeping up behind him, and then he smiled.  
"Afternoon, M'lady," he turned around and bowed towards the girl in red. His heart began to race, and he felt his cheeks reddening. How childish, he thought, after all this time and she can still make me blush like a moron. She grinned at him, exposing stunning pearlescent teeth. They complimented her pale complexion, which in turn. was perfectly contrast with her red spotted suit. His eyes wandered around her thin figure. The way the spandex suit hugged her waist and other curves of her body left him at a loss for words. She was so beautiful in his eyes. Even if it they had been partners for such a long time, it never seemed to lessen, only grow better with time.  
"Hello, kitty, ready to fight an akuma?" He shook his head and focused on maintaining eye contact with her. Careful to not let his eyes wander again. After all, he did know she didn't feel the same way. Her face was determined, and her stance shouted battle ready. He gave her a nod.  
"Any ideas where she went?" He questioned, looking to the every ends of the city searching for an answer. He didn't need to wait long before he heard distant cries of terror.  
"There's your answer," she chuckled, and hurled her yoyo off into the distance. Chat followed, extending his baton once more and tailing her closely as they leapt across buildings.  
_____________  
"Pound it!" the duo fistbumped in triumph as the cleansed butterfly flew away. Miss Chievous had vanished and was replaced with just a normal teenaged girl. She looked confused, but then again, most of the victims looked like that after a battle, so that was nothing weird.  
They had found the akumatised girl wreaking havoc at the Bourgeois hotel, and put an end to things quickly so that nobody ended up with injuries or anything. Marinette hadn't turned up, so naturally all his worry had faded as she had probably retreated to safety.  
Ladybug had said her farewells and Chat had quickly made his way back to school and detransformed in another janitor's closet.  
"I need cheese, and you'd better give me extra for making me want to puke like that!" Plagg complained as he exited the ring and released Adrien's transformation.  
"What do you mean?"  
"Oh please, kid, I could sense you checking her out, it was disgusting!" the kwami crossed his tiny arms and looked away from the blonde model, who was turning a seemingly red tinge that he could almost compare with Nathaniel's hair.  
"Plagg, hide, I need to go back into the classroom and get something." and with that, the little black cat flew straight into Adrien's jacket pocket, without a second thought.  
The model ran as fast as he possibly could back into where they had just been sitting in English less than an hour ago, and he made his way over to Marinette's seat, where her bag still sat abandoned. He carefully picked it up once more and placed it in his school bag which had been sitting beneath his desk. It was time to pay the raven haired girl a visit, no doubt at her bakery where she was probably hiding in safety. So why was he nervous all of a sudden?   
____________________  
The blonde boy stood before Marinette's door once more, for the second time that week, scared to knock on her door. Her parents had let him upstairs to her room after he showed them her bag. They had told him she would appreciate if he gave it to her in person. He has made his way up the stairs, and all of a sudden, butterflies had made a home out of his stomach. He didn't understand this feeling though, because in his mind there was absolutely nothing to be scared or nervous about.  
He inhaled a deep breath and then raised a hand to knock on the girl's door. Before he could do so however, the door opened, Marinette standing behind looking rather dazed until she realised who was standing at her door. Her eyes widened and she turned crimson.  
"A-Adrien??" She gasped, "W-hat are you doing h-here?"   
Why did she look so shocked? He pulled his bag off his shoulders and opened it up to reveal her pink bag. Trying to avoid any awkward silences, he handed it to her with a smile and said,  
"I found this and thought you may like it back, considering you always have it with you, you're okay though?" She took it, and then offered him a smile in return.  
"Thank you, I guess I must have neglected it when that student attacked the class! How clumsy of me. I'm good, just tired," She chuckled, a hint of nervousness could be heard in her tone.  
He looked at her face. It was creamy and lightly toned, in a way it almost reminded him of the red spotted heroine he had been saving Paris with earlier. The closer he looked, the more similarities he noticed between the two, she even had the stunning blue hair to match. Of course she wasn't Ladybug, he knew that for sure. That was when he noticed she too was staring at him, sapphire blue met emerald green and the moment was still. It was as if time had stopped itself. The longer he stared at her facial features, the more beautiful he found them. She was nice and pretty, and at that very moment he had never been happier that she was finally making conversation with him. Her eyes were enticing, and he couldn't help but search into them deeper. He felt as if he was looking into her very soul. He shook his head quickly, snapping pout of the trance.  
"I'd better get going, before my father gets too worried about me again, I'll see you at school tomorrow?" He said finally, cutting the silence, and then rubbing the back of his neck.  
"Yeah, see you then, Adrien!"   
And with that the blonde model waved goodbye and walked out of the Dupain-Cheng bakery. He headed off towards home, which wasn't too far from there, and did so with a huge grin on his face.  
Little did the boy know that the reason he didn't sleep that night was because of the shy blue haired girl who sat behind him in class every other day.  
Little did he know how much she loved him.  
But little did he know that he loved her back.


End file.
